In the focal passage for this series (Rom. 8:12-21) we find the Lord, through the Apostle Paul, presenting three Truths: 1) God’s call to man (the “headline”), 2) how man must answer the call (“the fine print”) and 3) the final result of man’s answering the call (the “payoff”)–man’s inheritance.  Jesus said that “many are called, but few are chosen” (Mat. 20:16) because they answered the Lord’s call to holiness which, if maintained “until the end,” will result in the payoff–eternal life (Mat. 10:22) and much more.  Those who complete the task are Christ’s spiritual “brethren”–true sons/children of God (vss 12-16) prove their love for Him by obeying His Word/commandments.  Verses 12-16 give us a summary of how to qualify for the payoff.

Verse 17 introduces us to the payoff–the INHERITANCE (“headline”)–that is EARNED by those who OBEY the Holy Spirit which lives within them, thereby making them sons/children of God.  Paul writes that God’s children are “HEIRS OF GOD AND JOINT-HEIRS WITH JESUS CHRIST.”  This “headline” is God’s Truth.  He cannot lie.  But it applies to us only IF we meet His conditions (“fine points”).  For example, His promises are ours IF we “walk as He walked” (1 Jn. 2:6), IF we “… overcome (Satan) as He overcame” (him) (Rev. 3:21), IF we “come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13), and IF we are hated and persecuted by the false church for doing so (Mat. 10:21,22).  He repeats this Truth through Paul in Romans 8:17 where He states that we are HEIRS OF GOD AND JOINT-HEIRS WITH CHRIST “IF WE SUFFER AS HE SUFFERED” (AND FOR THE SAME REASON–HOLINESS).  Note also in verse 17 that, if we suffer for our holiness as He did, WE WILL BE GLORIFIED TOGETHER WITH HIM.  The saints’ GLORIFICATION is part of the inheritance.

This Truth is confirmed in 1 John 3:2 where the apostle states that when Christ appears (at His Second Advent) “we will be (look) like Him, for we will see Him as He is (now).”  To know what He looks like today in His glorified body, turn to Revelation 1:12-15 where John describes the glorified Christ IN THIS WAY: He was “clothed with a garment down to the foot and girted about the breasts with a golden girdle.  His head and hairs were like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were as flames of fire, and His feet were like fine brass as if burned in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters.”  This is Christ in His born again(GLORIFIED) body.  THIS IS THE INHERITANCE OF THE SAINTS!!!  Tears flood my eyes as I write this.  Glory to God!  Can you see it, beloved?  Is this future life not worth the sacrifices required in this life?  Is it not worth dying to self and living to God?  As appealing as the physical transformation will be, that is just the beginning of the rewards.  There is much more to the inheritance, much, much more.  For example, God’s saints will one day RULE THE UNIVERSE AND THE ANGELS WHO PATROL IT.  Read God’s Very Elect: Future Caretakers of the Universe (key word–Caretakers) for a complete study of this Truth.

Recall the definitions presented earlier: An heir is one who has not yet received his inheritance.  An inheritor is one who has received his inheritance.  Note in Romans 8:17 that both the saint and Jesus are called “HEIRS.”  THE SAINTS ARE NOT MERELY HEIRS, BUT JOINT-HEIRS WITH JESUS.  LIKE HIS SAINTS, JESUS HAS NOT YET RECEIVED HIS INHERITANCE.  Why?  He is waiting for His spiritual “brethren,” His “friends,” His “remnant” of saints to join Him in the air upon His return to earth.  Then both Christ and His saints will receive their inheritance–FIRST THE EARTH FOR 1000 YEARS, THEN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE FOREVER.

In Luke 19:12-27 we find Jesus using a parable to explain the Truth about His future receipt of His inheritance.  In the story He refers to a “nobleman” who went into a “far country” in order to “receive a KINGDOM.”  Upon receiving it he RETURNED to his people and the servants he had assigned to lead them.  Note that the nobleman’s kingdom (inheritance) was in the place from which he had left, not in the far country.  Jesus is the Nobleman who left earth and went to heaven to in order to receive His kingdom–the Kingdom of God–which He will establish following His RETURN to earth.  As is explained in the parable, upon His return He will separate the spiritual sheep from the spiritual goats in His kingdom (His true church) and deal with each man “according to his works” (1 Pet. 1:17).  Spiritual “works” are performed by OBEYING HIS WORDS/LAW/COMMANDMENTS/TRUTH/WILL.  Only through those WORKS can man EARN the right to “reign with Christ for ever and ever” (Rev. 22:5) from New Jerusalem which will replace Old Jerusalem in the exact location where she stands today (Rev. 21).  From there God’s holy, overcoming saints will rule their inheritance which will consist of “ALL THINGS” (Rev. 21:7)–the entire universe.

Question: Does God actually expect (command) us to conduct our lives as He (Christ) conducted His? and to keep ourselves as pure as He is pure? and to overcome Satan as He overcame him? and to rise to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Jesus?  Does He expect mere mortal man to manifest the same character (words, thoughts and deeds) as the One Who was a god before coming to earth as Jesus of Nazareth (Jn. 1:1-4,14)?  Answer: YES.  Only those who do so will join Him in the air upon His return, follow Him down to Jerusalem where He will establish the Kingdom of God from which He and they will rule the the earth for 1000 years, then the universe for ever and ever.

How is this possible?  How can mere humans walk this earth as did a former god Who retained many of His godly powers that mortal man does not have?  How can man match the “walk” of Christ Who had a decided advantage?  How can man “… do the works that I (Jesus) have done, and greater works than these …” (Jn. 14:12)?  The truth is that JESUS HAD NO ADVANTAGE OVER HIS FELLOW MAN.  As I point out in the Caretaker series, Jesus divested Himself of ALL of His godly powers before coming to earth as a man.  In order to understand how God can demand mortal man to “walk as Jesus walked” we must believe that MORTAL MAN HAS THE SAME POWER AVAILABLE TO HIM THAT JESUS OF NAZARETH HAD WHEN HE WALKED THIS EARTH.  For proof, read Jesus of Nazareth: God, Man or God-man?  Key word–God-man.  Recall that Jesus grew angry at His disciples when they failed to still the sea, and when they could not cast out a demon.  As a man Jesus was exactly like those around Him.  He chastised the disciples when they failed to use the power available to them–THE SAME POWER HE HAD AVAILABLE TO HIM.  We will now examine some key statements made by Him that prove that He was not only a man like all other men while on earth, BUT REMAINS A MAN TO THIS DAY AND WILL REMAIN A MAN FOREVER AS HE, ALONG WITH OTHER MEN LIKE HIM, RULE THE UNIVERSE FOREVER.    L.J.